• The Washburn Ichabods are on the road again on Saturday as they will travel to Wichita, Kan. to face the Newman Jets at 3:30 p.m.
• The Ichabods (4-5, 1-2 MIAA) are coming off a 97-87 overtime loss at Central Oklahoma.
• The Jets (3-5, 0-3 MIAA) fell last time out at home on Wednesday to Emporia State 75-62.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series with Newman 26-7 and have won the last five games in a row.
• Washburn is 5-5 in games played in Wichita winning its last two including a 95-69 win on Jan. 28, 2021.
• The 2021-22 season marks the 117th season of Ichabod basketball.
• Washburn was picked second both the MIAA Coaches and Media preseason polls. • Jalen Lewis leads the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg hitting 18 of 50 3-pointers and tied a career-high with 30 points against Central Oklahoma.
• Michael Keegan is scoring 12.0 ppg with team-highs of 5.9 rebounds per game, 1.1 blocks per game and 1.2 steals per game … he had a career-high 13 rebounds against UCO on Dec. 9.
• Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 9.7 ppg with 2.8 rpg and a team-high 2.4 assists per game.
• Jeremy Harrell is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.6 ppg in 16.1 minutes per game.
• Levi Braun scoring 6.6 ppg and 8.7 ppg in MIAA play and has hit 8 of 18 3-point field goals in conference play.
• Through nine games this season the Ichabods have used six different starting line ups … only Michael Keegan and Jalen Lewis have started all of the games so far this season.
• Tyler Geiman became the 26th member of Washburn's 1,000-point club at Missouri Western last season and returned to the line up at Central Oklahoma … his career point total is 1,400 in 117 career games, which is ninth all-time on the Ichabod chart … next on the chart is Dan Buie who scored 1,484 in two seasons from 1995-97 … Geiman's 209 career 3-pointers is fifth all-time at Washburn.
• Jalen Lewis is currently 17th on the Ichabod all-time scoring chart with 1,152 career points in 97 career games … Lewis also became only the sixth Ichabod to go over the 200 made 3-pointers mark now sitting with 215 which ranks second behind all-time leader Shannon Kruger who hit 242 in 122 games.
• Connor Deffebaugh tied a career-high with five assists and two blocks against UCO.
• In addition to a career-high 13 rebounds against UCO, Michael Keegan also had a career-high four assists.
• With Jalen Lewis tying his career-high of 30 points against UCO, the first time he scored 30 was against Oklahoma Baptist last season.
• The last time an Ichabod opponent shot at least 42 free throw attempts was on Dec. 17, 2018 in Las Vegas when West Texas A&M had 43 attempts making 30 in a 98-93 overtime loss.
• The last time an Ichabod team was whistled for at least 32 fouls was 35 on Jan. 30, 2016 at Southwest Baptist in a 104-98 triple overtime loss to the Bearcats. SBU was called for 33 in that same game. WASHBURN ICHABOD HEAD COACH BRETT BALLARD
•is 86-43 in his fifth season as the Ichabods' head coach and 119-73 overall in his eighth year as a head coach.
• has led the Ichabods to three NCAA postseason appearances in four full seasons at Washburn.
• was named the Washburn Ichabod men's basketball head coach on April 6, 2017 after spending the 2014-15 to 2016-17 seasons as an assistant coach with the Wake Forest basketball program after working under head coach Danny Manning 2014-17 seasons and at the University of Tulsa during the 2012-14 seasons.
• he helped Wake Forest to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2009-10 season following the 2016-17 season.
• while at Tulsa, the Golden Hurricane played in the postseason both years, including earning a No. 13 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Tulsa also participated in the 2013 CBI, finishing that season with a winning record of 17-16 overall.
• before joining Manning at Tulsa, Ballard spent two seasons as the head basketball coach at Baker University going 33-30 overall, including a 21-12 mark in his final season at the helm in 2011-12.
• prior to taking over the head coaching position at Baker, Ballard spent seven years on Bill Self's staff at Kansas, his alma mater.
• he played two years for the Jayhawks under head coach Roy Williams from 2000-02 after transferring from Hutchinson Community College in his hometown of Hutchinson, Kan. In his two seasons as a Jayhawk, the team reached the 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen and appeared in the 2002 NCAA Final Four in Atlanta.
• he earned his bachelor's degree in secondary education from Kansas in 2003 earning an Academic All-Big 12 selection as a senior for his efforts in the classroom.
• is 4-0 against Newman.
 
NEWMAN HEAD COACH R.J. ALLEN
• is 50-64 in his fifth season as the Jets' head coach.
• spent six seasons as an assistant at Newman.
• is 0-4 against Washburn.
  • Newman is 3-5 this season and 0-3 in the MIAA and have lost its last three games.
• Israel Barnes leads the team in scoring at 19.5 ppg with a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.
• Stevie Strong is scoring 12.3 ppg.
• The Jets are scoring 68.5 ppg while allowing 69.3 ppg. (Dec. 9, 2021) EDMOND, Okla. – Washburn rallied from a 15-point deficit to send the game at Central Oklahoma to overtime but they were outshot at the free throw line 42 to 15 on the night in a 97-87 loss to the Bronchos. Washburn will be back in action at Newman on Saturday.
The Ichabods (4-5, 1-2 MIAA) trailed 44-33 at the break behind some hot shooting from the Bronchos as UCO hit 8 of 17 shots from deep for a 47 percent mark and was 15 of 27 overall from the field. The Ichabods were 6 of 21 from 3 and 13 of 33 overall.
Starting the second half the Ichabods went on a 9-0 after UCO scored the first points of the frame cutting the lead to four at 46-52 after a 3-pointer by Levi Braun forcing UCO (6-2, 2-1 MIAA) into a timeout.
A 3-pointer by Jalen Lewis pulled the Ichabods within three at 50-47 with 14:19 to play in the game and a traditional 3-point play pulled the Ichabods within two after the made free throw with 13:16 to go.
UCO then pushed the lead back to six at 56-50 with over 11 minutes to play but Washburn railed to cut the lead to three at 57-54 with 10:14 to go.
Again UCO went back up stretching its lead to seven at 63-56, but back to back 3's by Levi Braun cut the lead to one at 63-62 with 8:17 to play. Washburn tied the score at 66 with 6:48 to play on a free throw by Connor Deffebaugh and then took its first lead since the 18-minute mark of the first half on a lay up by Michael Keegan.
The Ichabods pushed their lead to 73-68 after Braun's fifth 3-pointer of the game, but UCO cut the lead back to one at 73-72 with 3:37 to play after coming up empty on their next three possessions.
A jumper by Lewis put Washburn up 75-74, however a free throw by UCO tied the score at 75 with 2:45 to play and then Braun connected on a 3-pointer with 2:30 to go stretching the Ichabod advantage to 78-75.
UCO was fouled on the next drive but went 1 of 2 from the line as the Ichabods led 78-76 with 1:54 to play. The teams traded misses from 3-point range and the Ichabods came up empty on their next possession, but a foul on the Ichabods and two free throws tied the score at 78 with 1:31 to play in the game.
The tie lasted 10 seconds as a floater by Lewis put the Ichabods right back up two with 1:21 remaining.
UCO hit two more free throws to tie the score again with 66 seconds to play.
Lewis put the Ichabods back up by two at 82-80 with 40 seconds left, but an Ichabod foul sent UCO to the line where they hit both free throws tying the score at 82. UCO's final possession was a turnover and Geiman's half court heave hit the rim as the game went to overtime.
In the extra frame, the Ichabods led 85-84 after a 3-pointer by Lewis and then after a UCO score, Isaiah Thorne's layup with 3:08 put the Ichabods up 87-86. UCO hit back to back layups to go up 90-87. However UCO scored its final eight points from the free throw line.
Lewis tied a career-high 30 points and Braun had 18 hitting six 3-pointers. Lewis was 11 of 17 from the field. Geiman had eight assists in his first action since the season opener.
UCO was led by Cameron Givens' 40 points.
WU finished 9 of 15 from the free throw line while UCO was 36 of 42..
  • Thursday's meeting with the Jets is the 34th all-time.
• The Ichabods lead the all-time series 26-7.
• The Ichabods have won the last 21 of the last 23 meetings with the Jets and the last five overall.
• Washburn is 5-5 against Newman in games played in Wichita.
• is 20-1 against Newman in Topeka with the lone loss coming on Feb. 12, 1980 in a 68-56 defeat.   (Jan. 28, 2021) WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 13-ranked Washburn Ichabods returned to the win column in a 95-69 victory over the Newman Jets on Thursday night in Wichita notching their fifth win in a row over the Jets.
After the Jets scored the first three points of the game, the Ichabods poured in the next 11 points to go up 11-3 at the 14:23 mark of the first half. Washburn also added a run of 10-0 in the opening stanza to take a 44-25 lead into the break at halftime.
Rathen Carter paced the Ichabods in the first half scoring 11 points hitting all four field goal attempts and both free throw as Washburn shot 58 percent in the frame hitting 14 of 24 shots and 4 of 9 shots from deep building a lead of as many as 21.
In the second half, the Ichabods pushed the lead to 27 with 17:21 to play in the game and the Jets would get no closer than 20 the rest of the game as Washburn picked up the win as the Ichabods shot a blistering 68 in the second half leading to the win also hitting 8 of 13 shots from 3-point range (55 percent) as the Ichabods cruised.
Jalen Lewis led all scorers with 26 points scoring 23 in the second half recording a career-high in the game. Lewis was 8 of 14 from the field and 4 of 8 from deep. Tyler Geiman had 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting. Jace Williams had 11 points with a team-high seven rebounds.
The Jets were led by Joel Boyce who scored 25 points as the only Jet in double figures as they lost their sixth-straight game.
The Ichabods averaged 97.5 points a game this season against the Jets after topping Newman 100-61 in the first meeting in December. Washburn was outrebounded 30 to 25.
  • The Ichabods are 1625-1102-2 all-time in the 117th year in the program's history.
• Washburn is the 10th-winningest program in NCAA Division II history by victories.
• Washburn is the winningest MIAA program since the 1989-90 season with an overall record of 643-299 since joining the conference and the NCAA.
• The Ichabods have recorded 29 20-win seasons and they have one 30-win seasons after going 35-4 during the 1986-87 NAIA Championship season.
•  Washburn has won 21 conference championships including 10 MIAA titles.
•  Washburn has received 15 NCAA Tournament bids going to three Elite Eight's appearing in the 2001 NCAA National Championship game.
  •  The Ichabods are 468-97 (.848) all-time in Lee Arena.
•  The 2021-22 season marks the 38th season of play in Lee Arena.
•  The Ichabods are 37-1 all-time in home openers.
•  The Ichabods recorded a school-best 28-game winning streak from Nov. 19, 1993 to Feb. 8, 1995 in Lee Arena.
  • The Ichabods will return home to host Rogers State on Dec. 18 and then finish off the first semester of action with Northeastern State on Dec. 20 in a rare 2 p.m. Monday afternoon start.